To date, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hop has successfully trained many generations of students. Many of her former students are now high-level managers in luxury restaurants and hotels, both domestically and internationally.
15 years of teaching and unforgettable memories with her students
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hop is currently the Head of the Hotel and Restaurant Management Department at Hai Phong Tourism College.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hop
It is known that after graduating from high school, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hop chose to study tourism. While in her third year of university, she worked at a leading 4-star joint-venture hotel in Hai Phong at that time.
After 5 years working at the hotel, Ms. Hop applied and was selected to become a teacher at the Hai Phong Tourism Vocational School, now the Hai Phong Tourism College. Since then, she has been dedicated to teaching for 15 years.
Over those years, Ms. Hop has many memories of her profession. She remembers most vividly her first day standing on the podium, filled with nervousness, excitement, and even anxiety. She even wondered, "Will the students laugh at me when I walk into the classroom?" Her biggest worry was, "Will the students understand my lecture?"
Coming from a background without formal pedagogical training, Ms. Hop had to attend professional training courses. Undeterred by difficulties, outside of class hours, she regularly attends observation sessions with experienced teachers at the school to learn from them. Through this, she has matured thanks to the sincere feedback from her colleagues.
Mrs. Hop herself admits to being strict, being very rigorous with her students in every class, and even stricter with the classes she is assigned to be homeroom teacher for. However, there are times when even she has to give in to the mischievous students.
Mrs. Hop teaches practical skills to students
She recounted: “I’ve never been so upset and angry with students. It was the 9th cohort of Hotel Management students, a class that was very united, always actively participating and achieving many accomplishments in both academics and school activities. But during a school flag-raising ceremony, for some unknown reason, 80% of the students didn’t attend.
Immediately afterwards, I spoke with the class representatives, but they didn’t say anything. I had to hold a class meeting to talk things over, from small matters to big ones. The next day, the class unanimously welcomed me back to class with shouts: ‘Mom, we’re sorry, we know we made a mistake!’ At that moment, my students and I burst into tears. That’s a very unforgettable memory for me.”
Vocational school students are often judged to have lower entry-level quality compared to those from cultural education schools. But Ms. Hop believes that cultural education doesn’t reflect the practical skills of a vocational student. According to Ms. Hop, the quality of incoming students is only low when they lack awareness of the profession, passion for it, and study merely for the sake of it.
“For students who are lazy and not focused on the profession, teachers need to spend more time understanding their thoughts, reasons, and interests in the profession to encourage and foster their passion. They should also work with their friends and family to help students set the right learning goals and achieve the desired academic results,” the teacher shared her experience.
Successful students are an inspiration for succeeding generations.
To date, Ms. Hop has trained many successful students who hold high positions in hotels and restaurants. Many of her students are now senior managers in luxury hotels and restaurants, both domestically and internationally.
Mrs. Hop describes herself as a demanding teacher, always striving to make her lectures better and more engaging.
For Ms. Hop, she doesn't judge her students' success by their current position in society because everyone has different criteria for evaluation. Each student who graduates, matures, and finds a stable job with a good salary is a source of pride for teachers like her, because these students inspire future generations to love their profession and have more confidence in their career choices.
Over 15 years and countless generations of students, the most special student for her is Nhu Thi Phuong – a student from the first cohort of the Hotel Management major. She is a very quick-witted student who always actively participates in school activities. In Ms. Hop's restaurant service training sessions, Phuong showed her intelligence and always practiced diligently, demonstrating genuine passion.
In 2012, after being selected by the school to participate in the restaurant service skills competition, Nhu Thi Phuong always strived to win the highest awards at the school, city, and national levels. In 2013, she was again selected to participate in the ASEAN and World Skills Competitions, winning a certificate of excellence.
She is the student that makes Teacher Hop most proud. Even more valuable is that, to this day, nearly 10 years after graduation, Phuong remains sincere and enthusiastic towards her teacher and school activities.
As a teacher, Mrs. Hop's greatest concern is how to deliver engaging, practical, and up-to-date lectures that keep pace with industry developments. To achieve this, each teacher needs to set clear, detailed, and realistic goals in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitude. From there, they must select appropriate teaching methods, especially focusing on a student-centered approach, and organize and manage the classroom seriously and scientifically to achieve the set goals.
For Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hop, a teacher must be dedicated, ethical, and highly responsible, always serving as a shining example for future generations of students.
Soure: https://dantri.com.vn/; Mai Châm
